Position Description
Role Title:
Clinician
Unit:
Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi
Reporting to:
Clinical Team Leader
Date created:
8 August 2011
# Direct reports:
0
Date last updated:
19 August 2011
Moemoeā – Barnardos Vision
Ki Aotearoa nei he taonga te tamaiti, me āna manako ki te whanake.
In Aotearoa New Zealand childhood is valued and each child’s hope and potential are
nurtured.
Barnardos Values
Integrity Respect Success Passion
Barnardos Core Principles
Manaakitanga - Looking after our people
Whanaungatanga - Family
Kaikokiritanga - Empowerment
Wairuatanga - Integrity
Kaitiakitanga - Stewardship
Aroha - Unconditional love
Purpose of the role
The purpose of this position is to provide quality assessment and therapeutic support to
young people resident at Te Poutama, with the aim of reducing the frequency and/or severity
of their harmful sexual behaviour. This includes the provision of individual, group and family
therapy.
Context
Barnardos aspires to be a valued contributor to the best possible outcomes for tamariki and
rangatahi and whanau by delivering best practice services that are innovative and evidence
based.
Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi is the national residential unit for adolescent males who have
engaged in harmful sexual behaviour and cannot be safely managed in the community. The
programme at Te Poutama provides specialist, intensive, and comprehensive treatment,
supervision, residential care and education for such youth within a therapeutic community.
Key accountabilities
Working with young people and families
 Completion of quality assessments of young people within three months of admission to
Te Poutama.
 Development and maintenance of therapeutic relationships with young people and their
whanau.
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 Provision of individual, group and family therapy using a range of therapeutic modalities.
 Engagement in effective treatment and case planning which reflect the application of
programme treatment models and which involve key staff from all areas at Te Poutama.
 Provision of risk assessments related to self-harm, suicide and absconding which are
reviewed regularly.
 Clinical progress reports are provided as required in a timely fashion.
 Alongside key residential staff, take responsibility for ensuring that youth have behaviour
management plans clearly aligned to their treatment goals and that residential staff have
the skills and understanding necessary to implement these plans.
 Where requested, provides quality clinical supervision to residential youth workers at Te
Poutama.
 Where requested, to deliver training to residential staff relevant to clinicians’ expertise.
Relationships
 Develop and maintain respectful, actively participating client relationships that:
o Take into account individual differences and the cultural and social context of the
young person’s situation
o Validate the young person’s experience, beliefs and values and acknowledge their
expertise in their own lives
o Maintain appropriate professional boundaries
o Reflect Barnardos core principles and values.
 Develop strong collaborative relationships with community and other agencies and
networks, particularly Child, Youth and Family and the community based treatment
providers, to ensure young people and families receive coordinated service provision.
 Maintain good relationships with key staff within the clinical, residential and education
teams.
 Demonstrate appropriate professional conduct at all times to ensure that Barnardos
reputation is maintained in the community.
Practice Standards
 Ensure that practice is planned in consultation with the Team Leader and delivered
within appropriate time frames.
 Ensure that practices are consistent with the Children, Young Person’s and their
Families Act (1989), Barnardos policies and procedures and other relevant legislation.
 Participate in professional and team development and up-skilling, including supervision
and case reviews.
 Participate in mandatory training including but not limited to, Ngā Pou e Whā, First Aid,
NVCI and The Rights of Children in Care.
 Integrate professional development and training into practice.
Supervision and Development
 Actively participate in formal and informal supervision with the Clinical Team Leader in
line with the Barnardos supervision policy.
 Participate and contribute to team meetings, training and development .
Ngā Pou e Whā (Māori Strategy)
 Play a leadership role in ensuring all employees engage in Barnardos values, Ngā Pou e
Whā (Māori Strategy) and strategic plan.
 Have a sound understanding of the principles of Ngā Pou e Whā, the Treaty of Waitangi
and the ability to apply them to everyday practice.
 Ensure that all relationships are built with consideration of the Barnardos values, core
principles and Ngā Pou e Whā (Māori Strategy).
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Health and Safety
 All staff have individual responsibility for Health and Safety practices and will:
o Be personally responsible for their own and others health and safety at work.
o Promote and participate in health and safety, maintain a safe workplace, and
ensure that any safety equipment is used correctly at the all times.
o Be familiar with policy and procedures.
o Establish and insist upon safe methods and safe practices at all times.
The key accountabilities of the role may change from time to time so that Barnardos is able
to adapt to changes in the business environment.
Required skills, experience and qualifications
 Tertiary qualification in a relevant area (social work, psychology, counselling,
psychotherapy).
 Membership or eligibility for membership of an appropriate professional body (e.g.
New Zealand Association of Counsellors).
 Experience in and knowledge of a range of theoretical therapeutic models related to
working with adolescents and families where harmful sexual behaviour has occurred.
 Understanding the dynamics of sexual abuse.
 Understanding of trauma and attachment issues and their impact on young people
and their families.
 Experience in delivering individual, group and family therapy to young people and
their families.
 Experience in delivery of therapeutic or psycho educational groups and an
understanding of the process issues related to group work.
 Well developed Microsoft office skills.
 An ability to respond to the needs of clients whose culture is different from their own.
 Demonstrate well developed conflict resolution skills and the ability to manage
pressures effectively.
 Understands the “therapeutic community” model of residential treatment and able to
work in a therapeutic environment.
 Understands the issues faced by staff who work with clients who engage in harmful
sexual behaviour and has good self care strategies in place.
 Deliberately utilise a diversity of roles when interacting with young people.
 Effective written and oral communication skills.
 Demonstrated commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.
Key competencies
 Creative thinking – ability to generate creative and practical ideas and solutions to
problems.
 Flexibility - ability to adapt approach and plans to fit with changing conditions, tasks,
responsibilities, or people.
 Partnering with others – ability to engage in relationships in which individuals are able to
make choices and take responsibility for their actions.
 Conflict resolution – ability to manage difficult customers and situations with maturity and
calm, seeking cooperating and resolution from all stakeholders.
 Resilience – ability to remain calm and self controlled under pressure, staying positive
despite setbacks.
 Relationship management - ability to develop and maintain reciprocal working
relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
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Level of authority
As defined by Barnardos Policies, Budgets and Delegated Financial, Operational and Staff
Authorities.
Authorisation of Job Description
Prepared by: Clinical Team Leader
Authorised by: Manager Te Poutama Arahi Rangitahi
Signed by:
(Name of position holder)
Date:
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